scuola
/ˈskwɔ.la/feminine
The Italian word for school is scuola.
scuola is the most common word used to denote school in Italian. When you are expressing that someone is at school or is going to school, you use the preposition a without an article, resulting in the phrase a scuola. While scuola is the general term, other words are used for specific settings: Istituto is often used for more formal educational institutions or academies, Liceo specifically refers to a certain type of secondary school in Italy and Università is the term used when referring to a university.
Meaning: an institution dedicated to teaching and learning (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word scuola is a feminine noun. Its plural form is scuole.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈskwɔ.la/. The word has 2 syllables and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- The word scuola shares a common ancestor with the English word 'school' and the Greek 'schole', which originally meant 'leisure'.
- In Italian, the phrase fare scuola can mean not only to teach but also to set a precedent or a standard for others to follow.
- The Italian word scuola can be used to describe a specific style or method of art, such as the scuola veneziana for the Venetian school of painting.
Examples in context
- Tom è a scuola.Tom is at school.This sentence shows how to use scuola to say someone is at a location.Tatoeba #2614640 by Guybrush88, translation #2273026 by CK
- Tu vai a scuola.You go to school.This sentence demonstrates the use of scuola with the phrase a scuola to indicate movement toward school.Tatoeba #373717 by Pharamp, translation #69523 by _undertoad
- Lei va a scuola.She goes to school.This sentence provides another example of using scuola to indicate a person's movement to school.Tatoeba #373720 by Pharamp, translation #313002 by CK
- La scuola è chiusa oggi.The school is closed today.
- Il mio sogno è quello di frequentare un prestigioso istituto.My dream is to attend a prestigious school.
- Mio fratello studia presso l'università di Roma.My brother studies at the University of Rome.
- Sono stanco di studiare tutto il giorno al liceo.I'm tired of studying at high school all day.
- Hai passato una bella giornata alla scuolina?Did you have a nice day at preschool?
- 3815 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Matteo are talking about their day.
- ChiaraA che ora finisce la scuola?What time does school finish?
- MatteoLa scuola finisce alle quattro.School finishes at four.
- ChiaraTi piace la tua nuova scuola?Do you like your new school?
- MatteoSì, la mia scuola è molto grande.Yes, my school is very big.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “school” translations and entries scuola, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries scuola, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
